


Ferromagnetic

by sandyk



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-02 17:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria got shot twice which was, of course, embarrassing. (Pre-AoU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ferromagnetic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tielan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/gifts).



> Thanks to Dine for beta. Not for profit, not mine.

Maria got shot twice which was, of course, embarrassing. She was protecting Stark from four idiots who thought they could attack Iron Man. They were wrong and she stopped them. The most embarrassing part was the idiots' choice of weapon.

Magnets. Four large magnets they'd written on with silver sharpies. 

To add insult to actual injury, Rogers and Barton showed up right after she'd effectively defeated the idiots but since she was bleeding they took over. 

Barton at least said, "Nothing much to do here, Cap, Hill took care of nearly everything."

Rogers responded by sweeping Maria up like she was a damsel in distress so she could bleed all over his impressive chest. She opened her mouth to protest when she saw one of the idiots had actually gotten up. She used her good arm to draw and fire on the loser. Rogers said, "I could have handled that."

"I was doing you a solid," Maria said. Then, to make it all even worse, she passed out. 

She had to spend three days in the very expensive hospital her Stark health insurance guaranteed her. "Thank you, Pepper," she said. 

Pepper was also clearly responsible for the flowers and fruit basket she saw on the side table. She reached for the card and saw a nice note telling her she had the whole week off. And that she should actually take the entire week off. 

Her first actual visitor was Melinda. "Aren't you busy with Phil and all of that?"

Melinda slightly narrowed her eyes and imperceptibly pursed her lips. Which Maria took as Melinda saying both that they would talk about it later and it was mostly fine. Melinda said out loud, "I brought you some field reports. I know we don't technically work for the same organization at this point."

"But you knew I'd need something to read while I'm stuck here," Maria said. "Thank you."

"I expect to hear from you about them before you're out of here. I appreciate your analysis," Melinda said. She smiled slightly. She said, "I'm glad you're not here for long."

"I shouldn't even be here. Did you hear how I got shot?"

Melinda said, "I wasn't going to say anything, but since you brought it up. Really, Maria? Four guys with magnets?"

"I know," Maria said. 

Natasha came to visit. She had a very specific persona she adopted for Maria since SHIELD went down. It was surprisingly unguarded facade and almost girly. Natasha wore skinny jeans and chewed bubble gum as she sat by the hospital bed. She even blew bubbles and popped them. Then she spat out her gum with perfect aim in the nearby trash can. "Magnets," Natasha said. "Magnets. I'm gonna tell Fury."

Maria said, "I knew it was coming."

Pepper visited on her last day, offering her a ride with Happy. "Tony wants to give you the next three months off, which I would do, but I think you'd be too bored."

"So I don't get a vacation?" Maria came out of the bathroom, fully dressed. Of course Pepper had brought her clothes she could easily put on with the splint and cast. For the hundredth time, Maria wondered if Stark was just that fantastic in bed. She could not understand why Pepper was with him otherwise. He just had to be. Nothing else made sense.

"Do you want a vacation?" Pepper looked genuinely stricken. 

"Lord, no," Maria said. "I guess I'm doing the admin part of my job for the next seven weeks, though."

"Yes," Pepper said. "Now come with me and Happy. We're taking you out to dinner." It was delicious and expensive. 

When she returned to work, she was surprised to see a vase of lilies. She liked lilies. The card said 'get well soon, Steve.' She kept the flowers in her office. 

"Was it the magnets that made you so sloppy?" Sharon grinned as she said it, walking in.

"I can shoot with either hand and I am going to start with the next person who brings that up," Maria said. 

Sharon sat down in the uncomfortable second chair. "It's funny. I mean, come on, magnets."

"They literally thought, hey, let's go after Iron Man with really strong magnets." Maria shook her head. "I've met bigger idiots but the list is not that long." She said, "CIA brought you home from Sokovia?"

Sharon smiled slightly. "Of course you know the highly classified location I was working at. Yes, I am home for a few weeks. I thought I'd come by and make fun of you and then we could go shopping."

"Sure," Maria said. She knew with Sharon shopping meant shoes and guns. Maria could use more of both. 

She'd been back a week when Steve slunk into her office. He was wearing a baseball cap and something that fairly shouted I am trying to be nondescript. She couldn't imagine it had worked. He said, "Hey, you liked the flowers."

"I liked the way everyone was surprised that I had them," Maria said, smiling. 

"You kept them just for that?"

"Exactly," Maria said. "So what brings you here, Cap?"

"I wanted to say, I assume you do Pilates?" 

She squinted at him. "You wanted to ask me that?"

"I have gotten into Pilates," Steve said. "I know it sounds weird."

"Yes," Maria said. "Plus it's weird you're telling me."

"Maybe," Steve said, smiling. He had a really good smile. "But Sam turned me on to it, though actually Tony mentioned it when I first met him."

"That didn't turn you off from it?"

Steve smiled again. "No," he said. 

"So Captain America takes pilates with --" She opened her hands in a question. 

"Actually, Sam knows this great guy. It's kind of a small class. I know it's good for recovering from injury, and this guy, his name is Juan, Juan is also a physical therapist," Steve said.

"You took a long time to come around to that," Maria said.

He patted the arms of the second chair where he was sitting. "This chair is very uncomfortable," he said. "On purpose, right?"

"Yes," she said.

Steve's idea of a small class was five people. Two were Steve and Sam, one was her. The other two she assumed from appearance were veterans Sam knew. She made a mental note to check them out anyway. Wilson had good instincts and so did Steve, but a little background information was never a bad idea. 

Juan was as good as Steve implied. She started going Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

"Pilates with Captain America," Sharon said. 

"How did you - nevermind," Maria said. "And four other people. Plus the instructor."

"I was the man's neighbor," Sharon said, "I can imagine it."

"It's exercise," Maria said. 

"Are you being defensive?" Sharon looked surprised. 

"Not in the slightest," Maria said.

"You are," Sharon said. "You are almost raising your voice to me."

Maria looked at her computer screen. "And now I am going back to work."

Sharon was almost giggling as she left. It was embarrassing. For Sharon.

After three weeks, Juan pulled her aside after class. She was watching Steve rub a towel through his sweaty hair. It was a nice view. Juan said, "You work for Stark, huh?"

Maria nodded. Juan said, "So you're the reason I'm getting these enormous checks?"

Maria smiled. "Pepper Potts made sure I have really great health insurance. Really great." She glanced back at Steve. "Doesn't Steve pay you?"

Juan looked scandalized. "I would charge Captain America?"

"I would," she said. "I think he has the same insurance now." It was part of Tony's Avengers budget since SHIELD went down.

Three weeks later the sling and splint were gone and all she had was some residual stiffness. And two more scars. 

She waited for Steve after class finished. She said, "Hey, Steve, what are you doing after class?"

"Are you trying to set me up? Like Natasha?"

Maria grimaced. "No."

"Oh," Steve said. "You were asking me out? A date?" He smiled. 

"Not if you were about to turn me down," she said, still not quite smiling. 

"I was not," he said. "I definitely wasn't."

"Then I was," she said. "We can get dinner. Tonight."

"That would be great," he said. "Maybe some place with lots of plastic. Because I know how you are with magnets."

"After all this time," she said. "I'm taking it back."

He put his arm around her and said, "I was just waiting for the right moment." 

She let her herself enjoy being hugged. She said, "Fury's comment was the funniest."


End file.
